Archive for CSA

While doing my usual rounds of Canadian soccer surfing I came across a list of players called to a national camp for boys under the age of 15. Surely a sign of too much time on my hands, I randomly entered one name, Yacine Ait-Slimane, into Google.

This was the first link that showed up. I originally thought it was some sort of suburban Montreal weekly, but eventually figured out it was actually based on Algeria. Either way, the article covers both Yacine and his twin brother Ilyes, also in the U15 camp.

Many words have been written by people who know more than me in regards to MLS chucking out the Canadian quota next year for TFC and Vancouver Whitecaps. But this is the first I’ve read about the CSA being publicly upset about the situation.

Former Canadian international and current CBC commentator Jason de Vos blogs on Sunday about pending changes in governance at the Canadian Soccer Association. And well, de Vos certainly deserves credit for writing about governance reform – in any sport – because it’s not exactly the stuff that sets pulses racing for the casual sports fan.

I didn’t attend this morning’s press conference announcing the Canadian men’s national team’s schedule for 2010. That’s probably for the best, as I’d probably have been permanently banned from BMO Field after getting confirmation that on September 7, at Stade Saputo in Montreal, Canada will play… Honduras.

If you, by chance, need to be reminded of the significance here, please read a post from September 8, 2008, entitled “A dark day for Canadian soccer“.

Even finding that old link almost caused me to hyperventilate, so let me keep things brief. Continue reading →

Canada is the basking dreamily in the midst of one hell of a sporting afterglow this week, looking forward to (at least) four years of being the most golden of Winter Olympic nations. And at the fore of all that glory (Note: I’m carefully avoiding all the much-reported-on flaws of the Vancouver Olympics) is the victory by the men’s hockey team. The hockey gold, as they say, has finally come home, and it’s being welcomed with open arms.

But, as Canada rests on its sporting laurels, what effect will the past two weeks prove to have had on the state of soccer in our now-golden land? Will it bring positive energy to the game we love, or will it overshadow it and keep it down? Now, before anyone gets in a huff, I’m not trying to find fault with or degrade these past Olympics in some jealous-soccer-fan kind of way: I’m proud of how Canada did at these games, and am not taking anything away from that. I’m just wondering how the games will affect the sport that is, after all, the reason that this blog exists. Continue reading →

The fervent “sack the CSA!” brigade was forced to temper their passion somewhat for most of 2009. After the men’s national team’s monumental failure in attempting to qualify for this year’s World Cup, things looked universally grim for Canadian soccer. But early in the year, under pressure from the Voyageurs, the Canadian Soccer Association bit the bullet and fired Dale Mitchell as head coach of the men’s national team. Stephen Hart, for the second time, took on the “interim” tag in that role for most of the year, before having his job solidified in December. During that time, Canada got some good results at the Gold Cup and the CSA announced several friendlies for 2010. Progress was indisputably being made.

On the women’s side, the national team was similarly without a head coach entering 2009, after the departure of long-time gaffer Even Pellerud. In February, the CSA shocked the world (by which I mean a small cadre of soccer geeks) by introducing former Italy head coach Carolina Morace as Pellerud’s replacement. Morace’s credentials spoke for themselves, and the move was almost universally regarded as a positive. She pledged to take the teams under her control (the national and U20 squads) in a different tactical direction, abandoning “route one” footie for a more controlled, possession-oriented style. Early results weren’t good (including a 4-0 thrashing by the USA at BMO Field), though Morace is being given plenty of leeway as she attempts to put her own signature on Canadian women’s soccer.

Two new head coaches, facing new years. Both highly regarded by Canadian fans, and both wanting to take their respective sides in a new direction. Those directions, though, are about as far apart from one another as they could possibly be. Continue reading →

Yep, for the second year running, we’ll be giving you our super-educated guesses on who will take home the hardware (wait, is there even a trophy?) as Canadian Player of the Year from the men’s national team. Last year, all three of us picked guys who weren’t on Toronto FC, but now are, and who are all on this year’s nominee’s list, but probably shouldn’t be. Who will take it this year? We can’t handle the excitement. So here are the nominees, as provided by the CSA, along with our first-, second- and third-choice picks.